Deep Space Nine Drabble Series
by A Raven's Heart
Summary: A collection of very brief stories based upon the DS9 events and characters.
1. Introduction

The following chapters will be a series of drabbles, all about 100-200 words in length. They all vary in characters and situations, but will always be one of the following types:

-A unique, random, self generated situation  
-A situation that stems from a cannon one (think: "missing/deleted" scene)  
-An alternate telling of a cannon situation

Most stories will be told from the first point of view and will feature very little dialogue, if any.

The stories should be self explanatory, but if you have questions or just comments in general, don't hesitate to leave feedback for me (:

Disclaimer - applies to all following chapters in this series_  
STAR TREK and related marks are trademarks of CBS Studios Inc._


	2. Pregnant

He and I strode down the hallway of the station side by side. He explained to me his shock at being lured to the station by his daughter for a "suicide" mission. Then the truth came to light, Dukat couldn't believe I was pregnant. I rolled my eyes; this was so typical of him.

We stopped at the turbolift and stared at each other, he then expressed how Shakaar needed to appreciate how lucky a "man he was". Blue Cardassian eyes went up and down my body, and rather than be upset with this; I informed him that Shakaar was not the father of the child. Incredulous, he asked who was.

Very simply I told him, with a slight tilt to my head and lilt in my voice, that the father was his first officer.


	3. Promotion

The cheerful sound in his voice as he greeted me was enough to make me sick. I didn't turn to see who it was, I knew that voice anywhere. I congratulated him on his promotion, explained that personnel reports would have to wait. I turned to face him, to leave the office and warn Rom.

His eyes traveled with me as I spun on my heel, a single outstretched arm halted my hasty exit. My eyes found his, and it took all my strength not to pound him into the ground as he made his demand. I clearly expressed my distaste for this, forcibly moved his arm from my path and verbalized my intention.

Of all the nerve. He caught me off guard, grabbed my arm and prevented me from going anywhere. I was spun to face that man I tried to avoid, but was always forced to deal with. "Now." He repeated for me, and the pressure on my arm increased. Squeezing my eyes shut, I prayed to the Prophets to watch over Rom as I was forced to stay in the last room I wanted to be in.

* * *

This particular story has an extended beginning. It's not important to the progress of what I wanted to express in this story so it was "cut". If you're interested in reading the story in it's entirety, feel free to leave a comment and I will provide you with the other "half".


	4. Words

I was never good with words. I had a nasty habit of saying exactly what was on my mind, no matter how harsh or even rude it might be. And yet nothing prepared me for this. I didn't know what to say, I had nothing to say. It was nothing new, his confession, I had known for a while. I had seen the signs, observed how he acted when we were around each other. But I never expected to be finally faced with hearing those words.

We were probably going to die. This was all a suicide mission. The resistance was failing, and yet I couldn't find the heart to say it. It was counterproductive, I had felt like this numerous times during the Bajoran Occupation, and had done the same – said nothing. But that confession, those simple words made it all feel so much more hopeless. Even I, the queen of being blunt, could not have put something into prospective so readily. But I never was good with words – he had always been so eloquent.

He peered at me in the faded light, waiting for my response. The response I wasn't sure I could give him, or even muster. Suddenly there was the clank of boot against metal; Garak came downstairs with the lightsticks so he could work. I was saved.


	5. Exchange

Disgusting, filthy, greedy creatures – the lot of them. Oh how I hated every last wrinkled lobe on their smaller bodies. This was humiliating for me. I had been content, perfectly fine to sit in a prison cell for the rest of my miserable life. But no, these… things had to go and have a relative captured by the Dominion. They were cunning, but not smart.

It was a trap, it was all a trap. Right down to the agreement on where to hold the prisoner exchange. I didn't want to go, and as we walked to the infirmary – oh sorry, base camp – I noticed what a bad spot we had put ourselves in. No, who am I talking about? I had nothing to do with these decisions. It was that boy in Starfleet. It was amazing he had ever gotten through Academy with such a lack of brains.

Ah, but what do I care. They're squabbling again, it shouldn't concern me. But then weapons are raised. For once, I show emotion, fear flashes across my weak eyes as I notice what's going on. Testing the restraints, I'm reminded of the position I'm in. I'm a prisoner, and about to be killed by the ones wanting to keep me alive for their mother's sake in the exchange. I hate Ferengi.


	6. Hollow

I don't know what I was thinking. Well, maybe I did. She had said she was a traitor, it was her own words. She had proved me right, what I had said all along to her father. He still didn't believe me, and I did what I thought was right. It wasn't.

Shattered, broken, a hollow shell was all that remained of my former mentor. And as I watched him slip into his insanity, I wondered if it had always been there, waiting for the right moment to surface. I had done that for him, and now I hated myself for it.

His job would become mine. I would be the new leader of Cardassia and have to deal more with that hated Vorta and his damn Founder. I was likely to jump out an airlock myself, so I tried to get him to come. Cardassia needed him, I needed him.

He growled at me, looked at me with a hatred I hadn't even seen when we fought the Klingons. My mentor was gone, he was a hollow shell of a man and it was my fault. There was nothing I could do… and I didn't have a bottle of Kanar.


	7. Melt

I watched the exchange with great interest; noting with satisfaction that Kira was not one to put up with sloppiness. She would have indeed made a great Obsidian Order agent, as Entek had claimed all that time ago. But she was hard not to admire, the precision with which she executed things, the sharpness of her tongue, and the graceful and fluid movements of her body. He admired her too, I could tell as I watched them speaking.

She demanded to know what he'd do about his friend. I had a few ideas of my own, but remained silent and stood steadfast by Kira's side. The look on her features was hard, cold and icy, unmoving like steel. And he spoke. Such simple words, and yet it was not an idea I had considered, and judging by the look upon our commander's face, not one she had either.

Her features softened, the ice draining from her gaze as only the faintest traces of a smile pulled at her lips. With a small nod, she provided a quiet "okay", to which the resistance leader nodded his head in return and disappeared. I had to wipe the incredulous look from my features as I turned back to her and we got right back to business.


	8. Glance

I was wrong to have said what I did. Sure it was something he needed, but the time I had chosen was terrible, couldn't have been worse. To see the look on his face as he had approached me, the danger in his eyes for what was said – it sent chills down my spine. And yet he had done nothing, turned and walked away.

Still when we met with the shuttle, I was hesitant to be anywhere near him. Despite what Garak told me, I still knew it was wrong. And yet when we all started to depart of the transporters, we caught glances. I froze, nervous about what might happen next. He hesitated, looked like he was going to say something, but I broke the look. Encouraged by Odo, I turned and kept going.

And yet in that moment, I saw not a Cardassian, not a solider or a leader, or even a resistance fighter – I saw a man.


	9. Shattered

He had saved me. Sacrificed his friend for my life, I couldn't believe it. I stared at him in disbelief, wondering if this was all some sick dream I was having. If I'd wake up and be back on Deep Space Nine, that I'd still be hating him. Getting up in the morning and seeing his face, seeing Dukat, knowing that there was a war going on and there was barely anything I could do.

But this was all real. He had thrown away the last friend he had to save my life. I like to tell myself it was because he still needed my help, that without me, the resistance would shatter, but it was more than that. I could see it in his eyes when Rusot accused him of wanting me dead. No matter how tempting the offer, the price seemed to be too high for him.

I could never look at him the same way after that. He had shattered my views on Cardassians that I once had – I don't know if I'll ever know what to think again.


	10. Meaningful

He was dead and I had killed him. I had killed him for the Bajoran woman I had come to hate for so many months, or had told myself to hate. I couldn't hate her; I admired her – her strength, her courage. To be able to stand alongside me, who was her enemy for so long, and help me and not try to wring my neck – there was something to be said for that.

I think Garak noticed it too, I could see him watching us, from the corner of one of his well trained eyes. He seemed unsure, probably as surprised as Kira was. I drew my attention back to her; she was looking at me with more thanks that I thought was possible. I was holding my breath; I hadn't realized it until she spoke, issuing the order to flood all the lower decks with the poison gas.

In the end, I almost laughed; surprised at myself for thinking she'd say anything meaningful to me again.


	11. Dying

I looked up from my console as she instructed me to take the helm. Glancing over, I saw Odo and part of me regretted the decision. I slowly looked back at her, seeing the hurt in her eyes. Slowly moving around my station, I easily took the headset from her and watched with uneasiness as she moved away from me and went to his side.

It wasn't easy watching the ones you love die. I guess I was lucky; I never had to see my family suffer. It still hurt, the pain was still strong, but I didn't have to stand there and watch it happen. Though I'm sure the Vorta would have tried to arrange such a fate, were it possible. I hated him.

But I didn't hate her. And I don't think she hated me.


	12. Lifetime

I couldn't imagine the pain she was in. The man she loved had betrayed all of us. And the girl that she loved as a daughter was dead. The pain I saw in her eyes was so powerful I can't imagine how she stayed so strong. Even after seven lifetimes, I know would have still broken down. I would have run to Benjamin and cried myself hoarse.

She was standing on the upper level of the Promenade, looking out a window. It was dark, well past the hour that most went to bed. Ziyal had long since been declared dead and Odo was probably inside Cardassian space by now, and yet she stood there – so strong.

I called out to her, and it was when she turned that I saw the tears streaming down her face. Wordlessly, I went up to her and embraced her. She clutched me so tightly, held me like I was going to leave her alone. I cooed soft promises to her in my native tongue, held her close until she could muster no more tears.

The Kira Nerys I knew was dead, hollow, empty and maybe never coming back. It was the hardest thing I ever had to watch.

* * *

Hey look! Something not almost cannon! -cheers- I... had to. It sort of reflects my own mood at the moment. Expect more of this type (totally non-cannon) to appear more often (:


	13. Duty

The look in her eye was almost feral, and I was taken aback by it. In seven years, I knew my first officer to be a little rough around the edges, but never like this. She paced in front of my desk; it was so hard to sit there so calmly while she ranted to me. I gripped my baseball tightly, it was all I could do to calm my nerves.

I knew how she felt about the mission that was given to her, but there was no one better for the job. They needed someone to lead a resistance, the Cardassians didn't know how to do it, and so she was the obvious choice. Garak would, obviously go with her, but I knew I could not spare anyone else.

Sometimes, we had our duty to attend to, and this was her's. Whether she liked it or not, she was going.


	14. Tears

Dead. I couldn't believe that he was dead. I don't care that he betrayed all of us, especially me, he was still gone. The news hit me like a ton of bricks and I didn't know what to do with myself. Who was there to comfort me? No one. I never felt so alone before, and it sent chills down my spine.

I sat alone in my quarters back on Deep Space Nine. I hadn't even had the strength to put my Bajoran uniform back on. I sat on the floor near my bed, openly crying and hoping to cry myself to sleep. What else did I have to do?

The door to my room chimed. Sniffling back the tears, I wiped them away with the back of my sleeve and called weakly for whoever it was to enter. Struggling to my feet, I managed to get to the doorway of my room before I stopped, having to lean on the wall to peer out through blurred eyes at the person who had entered.

My heart stopped. It may have been the last man I imagined to ever see again, but I couldn't help but rush into his arms.


	15. Touch

I could feel my life slipping away into darkness. Death was upon me and I came to realize that I would not see a free Cardassia. I would not accept this – I tried to sputter out commands, to keep fighting, but it was no use.

Slowly, I became aware of my surroundings, as if touched by an angel. What I opened my eyes to was much more than that. I saw the tears in her eyes, but also the joy in her face upon seeing my eyes flutter open. I reached up a hand to touch her face softly; she closed her eyes, tears still streaming down her soft cheeks. As I came more to my senses, I realized I was on a Federation ship. I had survived, and judging by the looks on everyone's faces – we had won, Cardassia was free and the war was over.

And without her, I would have never seen it.


	16. Blush

The first time we met was awkward. I had seen him on the bridge, heard him speak, knew his name, but he was just another Cardassian under Dukat's command. What was so special about him? Nothing; just another lackey of the man I hated.

I tended to avoid everyone I could on the ship, except Ziyal. But on my way to meet Ziyal for some training, I ran into him – literally. Neither of us had been knocked down, and we both just stood there, staring at each other. It was as if we each expected the other to say something.

I swear by the Prophets to this day that I saw him blush just a tiny bit under all those ridges.


	17. Dance

It was one dance, just one dance, but Prophets I didn't know what to do with myself! I was in a revealing dress, the one that the Intendent, my counterpart, had given me to wear. I couldn't not wear it, I had to stay in her good graces, but the way he looked at me was creepy and disgusting – it reminded me of Dukat, though the fact that it was Garak made it potentially more disturbing.

I'm still not sure I can look at my Garak the same way again, or well, my universe's Garak – the real Garak, as far as I and probably anyone else away from the mirror universe is concerned. But the way this one looked at me with such lust and hunger, I was starting to fear him more than my own counterpart.

If Julian and the mirror O'Brian hadn't been dragged in where they were, I have a feeling it would have been more than just one dance…


End file.
